Deep breath, everyone (if nothing else in any of these emails has stuck with you, I hope the suggestions on better breathing have. If not, maybe review?) We are going to get through this day, this week, this season of loss, anger and protest, and this cuss-cussity-cuss pandemic. And it sounds cheesy to say, but we are not going to do it alone; we can only do it together.

We humans are mammals, and more specifically, we are primates, and this means we are very social creatures. We don’t make it on our own, but only after many years of painstaking help from others (anyone raising kids out there??) We do not do well, at all, when left to ourselves, which is one reason why one of the worst punishments in prison is solitary confinement. This is also why so many folks are struggling so much when asked to isolate and maintain so much distance from others. We just aren’t wired that way. We resist separation!

Ultimately there is no replacement for a good dose of face to face connection, but there are lots of other ways we can be “with” others. I have talked in a number of these messages about coping by finding meaning, and here I just want to mention the incredible value of shared meaning. That is the meaning found in communities of folks working together toward shared goals, expressing shared values. Maybe you see where I’m going with this…we are so fortunate, when looking for ways to feel better in the midst of incredibly painful news cycles, to have to look no further than our daily work to remember that good things are being done, by good people, for the good of our community and society. NorthLakes really is the glue helping hold life together for an awful lot of folks, and that matters – big time! So maybe as you read this, look around, find a co-worker, and offer him or her a socially distanced but very sincere air high five, and consider something written by some very wise kid with sidewalk chalk recently: we are “six feet apart and closer than ever.” Stay close, folks, because that’s how we stay strong.

Turtle Lake, Wisconsin—NorthLakes Community Clinic – Turtle Lake will begin offering substance use disorder counseling in June as part of their efforts to establish a comprehensive Recovery program in Turtle Lake. To start, the program will assist people with alcohol and drug (all varieties) addiction by offering counseling provided by our Recovery and Mental Health Therapists and community supports through our Community Health Worker and Patient Financial Advocate. The program will grow as the Recovery needs in the Turtle Lake area are identified and resources become available; most likely to include intensive outpatient therapy and medication assisted treatment. The Otto Bremer Trust fund is providing the start-up funds for this critical service in the Turtle Lake area.

“We know addiction resources are scarce in rural Wisconsin,” says NLCC CEO Reba Rice. “Turtle Lake is no exception. Since coming to Turtle Lake, community members have been requesting we provide these services. Thanks to a generous grant from the Otto Bremer Trust, we now have the resources to stand up this service immediately.”

Brenda Goettl, LPC, CSAC, ICS, CSW will be leading the Recovery efforts in the Turtle Lake area. Brenda helped to establish NorthLakes’ Recovery program in Ashland when she joined the organization in 2016. In 2019 she made the decision to be closer to family and took a position with Eau Claire County Human Services, supervising the treatment court there. This spring, she decided to return to NLCC to continue her efforts of expanding innovative and comprehensive Recovery services to northern Wisconsin. Brenda brings over 30-years of experience of experience within Recovery.

As to why the Otto Bremer Trust is funding this initiative, Otto Bremer Trust co-CEO and trustee Brian Lipschults says, “NorthLakes is responding to a clearly identified community need for recovery and substance abuse services. We’re impressed with the success they’ve achieved with programs elsewhere in the region and believe this new program will also have a positive impact.”

NorthLakes Community Clinic provides care to individuals with Medicaid and Medicare, those without insurance, and also those with private health insurance. We also provide a Sliding Fee Scale available for patients who qualify. For more information, please visit: nlccwi.org.

If you frequently read my articles, you know that I usually take a pretty light tone. It’s just my style. Today, though, that somehow doesn’t seem quite right. The news has been pretty heavy recently, hasn’t it? We’ve surpassed 100,00 folks lost to COVID-19 in the US alone, we see people struggling to sort politics from public health, and of course, we are watching our nation convulse with anger and pain following the death of George Floyd.

In the midst of all that, I thought I would just talk a little about where we find meaning. Why? Because this series is about coping well with stress, and one of the primary ways we cope is by finding meaning. Making sense. Seeking some sort of good, ideally, even in the midst of losses that seem pointless, brutal and sad. The inability to find meaning in suffering is a big contributor to depression and also to the very corrosive coping mechanism of cynicism. Cynicism and bitterness are protective reactions meant to wall us off from further pain, however they often end up costing us quite a bit as they inadvertently end up draining meaning and sense from our view of life.

But where is meaning to be found when a loss seems senseless, such as a death due to a virus, cancer, an accident or worse? How do we avoid getting cynical and bitter? I think when we try to find meaning in the loss itself, we can hit dead ends. Meaning, it turns out, is found in what happens next. When we sustain a loss, after our initial emotional reaction, what do we do? How do we let what matters to us guide our life going forward, whether it is the memory of a loved one, a value we realize we need to live more deeply or any effort we make to improve the world around us? How does our response to the terrible headline or the personal tragedy reflect what matters most to us? This is where we find meaning, and when we risk reaching toward meaning rather than sheltering in cynicism, we are much less likely to become depressed or hopeless.

I hope in these challenging times you are able to find actions to take, small or large, that give you a sense of the meaning in your life and your connections to whatever it is that matters most to you. HINT: We almost never go wrong when we reach out to connect to someone we care about and let them know how we’re doing, or ask how they are doing.

Turtle Lake – NorthLakes Community Clinic – Turtle Lake will be offering substance use disorder recovery services for patients struggling from addiction in June. To start, the program will assist people with alcohol and drug (all varieties) addiction by offering counseling provided by our Recovery and Mental Health Therapists and community supports through our Community Health Worker and Patient Financial Advocate. The program will grow as the Recovery needs in the Turtle Lake area are identified and resources become available; most likely to include intensive outpatient therapy and medication assisted treatment. This program is funded in part by a grant from the Otto Bremer Trust.

Brenda Goettl, LPC, CSAC, ICS, CSW

Brenda Goettl LPC, CSAC, ICS, CSW is returning to NorthLakes to lead this effort, which the community has been requesting for several years. Brenda served from 2016-2018 as the Director of the Recovery Program for NorthLakes in Ashland, where NorthLakes’ program began in 2015. Expanding the service into other areas NorthLakes serves was the organization’s goal from the start. Robust recovery services are currently available in both Ashland and Hayward.

Brenda earned her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, and her Master of Arts in Counseling from Lakeland College in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. She has been working in recovery for over 30 years. Prior to rejoining the team at NorthLakes she had been at Eau Claire County Human Services, supervising the treatment court there.

When asked about working with people with substance use disorder Brenda says, “When I was in college as a Social Worker, we were told about 80% of our clients would be affected by substance use. This was evident in my personal life and now in my professional life. It was imperative to me to be able to assist 80% of my clients effectively. I recognized the importance of addressing substance use disorders, how it affects so many areas of a person’s life, and how difficult it can be to change. On the other hand, anyone can recover from a substance use disorder. I have seen people change their lives and the lives of their families in extraordinary ways through recovery.”

Some of Brenda’s other passions are walking her dog, riding motorcycles with her husband, music, and playing hide and seek with her granddaughter.

Recovery joins behavioral health, chiropractic, dental, and patient support services at the Turtle Lake Clinic which is located at 730 Swede Avenue. NorthLakes Community Clinic – Turtle Lake remains open and is accepting new patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The clinic is open for in-person services and patients also have the option of seeing their provider virtually via phone or video. If you have questions about how to establish care or connect with your current provider or to learn more about our Recovery program, please call the clinic at: (715) 986-2599.

NorthLakes Community Clinic provides care to individuals with Medicaid and Medicare, those without insurance, and also those with private health insurance. We also provide a Sliding Fee Scale available for patients who qualify. For more information, please visit: nlccwi.org.

Iron River, Wisconsin—NorthLakes Community Clinic (NLCC) received $50,000 in emergency grant funding from the medical aid organization Direct Relief, in partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers.

NLCC was among 518 federally qualified health centers to receive funding this week through Direct Relief’s $25 million Covid-19 Fund for Community Health, which recognizes the profound effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the finances, services, staff, and patients of community health centers.

The funds will primarily be used to purchase personal protective equipment to ensure patients and staff remain safe as NLCC slowly expands in-clinic services throughout northern Wisconsin.

“Access to primary care is what keeps people healthy and out of the hospital, and the frontline work of NorthLakes Community Clinic and other nonprofit community health centers across the U.S. is more critical than ever with the onset of Covid-19,” said Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe. “Direct Relief is doing everything possible to bolster the work and support the staffs at the safety-net health facilities on which so many patients and their families rely for excellent care and trust for advice in this public health emergency.”

Nearly 30 million (1 in 12) of the country’s most vulnerable residents — including 1 in 3 individuals living in poverty, 1 in 5 Medicaid beneficiaries, and 1 in 9 children — rely on federally qualified health centers like NorthLakes Community Clinic for their health care. That number is expected to rise as more people lose employer-sponsored insurance.

“We are grateful for this critical and immediate support as Community Health Centers work hard to keep communities safe during an unprecedented pandemic,” said Tom Van Coverden, President & CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). “We are also deeply appreciative of our longstanding partnership with Direct Relief in these uncertain times and their efforts to ensure that health centers confronting multiple challenges in underserved communities have the resources when and where they need them. We know that many donors and contributors have helped to make this fund possible, and we further extend our appreciation to all of them.”

NorthLakes Community Clinic provides care to individuals with Medicaid and Medicare, those without insurance, and also those with private health insurance. We also provide a Sliding Fee Scale available for patients who qualify. For more information, please visit: nlccwi.org.

Hurley WI – NorthLakes Community Clinic will begin offering dental services in mid-June at its new building in Hurley. To start, priority will be given to patients on BadgerCare, uninsured or under insured people who qualify for NorthLakes’ sliding fee scale. Leading the effort is long time Hurley dentist Dr. Paul Hagemann.

Paul Hagemann, DDS

Dr. Hagemann has been a dentist in the Hurley area for over 35 years and is excited about joining NorthLakes. “It’s a great organization, and I trust them to do the right thing for any community in need,” said Dr. Hagemann when asked about joining the community health center.

Dr. Hagemann feels fortunate to have been able to be in the Hurley area for so long where he was able to raise his family and enjoy the outdoors year around.

Dr. Hagemann attended the University of Wisconsin – Parkside for two years and then earned his DDS from the Marquette University School of Dentistry. He is very involved in his community including being a member of the Iron County Board of Health for many years, the Boy Scouts of America, local soccer organizations, Rotary, and the Historic Ironwood theater to just name a few. NorthLakes is honored and excited to have him join the team. The addition of dental services in Hurley will help support our Seal a Smile program that sees children in some of the area schools.

NorthLakes Community Clinic – Hurley also offers Chiropractic and Behavioral Health Services in its new location at 115 5th Avenue North in Hurley. To schedule an appointment for any of these services call the clinic at 715.329.1288

The clinic remains open and is accepting new patients during the pandemic and is open for some in-person services. Patients also have the option of seeing their provider virtually via phone or video. If you have questions about how to establish care or connect with your current provider, please call the clinic at: 715.329.1288.

Hello! Happy Wednesday! I know, seems like Tuesday, doesn’t it? This week Wednesday is the new Tuesday (thank you, Memorial Day weekend!)

Over said weekend I was listening to David Kessler on the radio, talking about grief, as he does so very, very well. One of the things he said is that we seem to be doing a lot of interrupting our own grief and sadness. We start to talk, or think, about what is hard for us, and within minutes, maybe seconds, guilt kicks in and we interrupt our feeling with some version of “I have nothing to complain about…I have a job…my family isn’t sick…we are so lucky to live where we are, etc. etc. I have done this myself, many times. What, after all, do I have to complain about, really? I can pay my mortgage, buy groceries. I have health insurance!

That’s all great, except…it misses the point. Those are all good things to be aware of, and when felt with gratitude they support my wellbeing. When felt with guilt, telling me I have no right to be sad/stressed/scared, those thoughts are just a version of me trying not to feel what I feel. It doesn’t lead me to feel better. Instead, it is exhausting – it’s much more of an effort to try NOT to feel something than to just allow the feeling to arrive, do its thing, and then leave on its own. Which it always, always, always does!

So, my pro tip for the day is this; when you feel sad, or scared, or angry, try just feeling it. Don’t worry about whether it’s justified. It’s a feeling, it doesn’t require justification. Don’t worry whether someone else has it worse. They do. And they have their own feelings to deal with. They won’t feel better if you stuff your feelings, any more than those starving kids on the other side of the globe felt better when you cleaned your plate as a kid. Just have the feeling, give it a little space, and move on with your day. You’ll feel better. Really.

So, you know how sometimes you get all wrapped up in something and really dive in. Then at some point you step back and take stock…and realize you have skipped something really basic. But really important! Well, I was reading through all my previous missives to all y’all, you know, to help me fall asleep one night, and it dawned on me – not a single one pertains to breathing. Ack! And I call myself a mindfulness guru! Ok, I totally DO NOT call myself a “mindfulness guru” and it’s a good thing I don’t! Better breathing is really, and truly, at the very foundation of our sense of wellbeing and I cannot believe I have not dedicated one of these emails to it. Well that all changes today.

If you have watched my video on why breathing matters (and really, who among you has not!) then you already know that if you google “breathing” and “special forces” you will get a LOT of hits. Breathing is not just for the meditation practicing, yoga loving vegan crowd. Why? Because it really, really works.

Works at what? Well, it calms us down, it clears our mind, it increases our energy level, and it makes us better problem solvers. It steadies us and supports our basic resilience in the face of stress. It creates a buffer between us and raw panic. Or just snappish irritation. Really, it makes everything better. And it’s free! I like free.

So here are two things to try, one if you don’t have a lot of time and the other for if you really don’t have a lot of time.

Square breathing (box breathing) To do this just remember the number 4; breath in for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, exhale for four seconds and then pause for four seconds. Repeat. Doing four or five breaths this way will take just over a minute and will do you a lot of good, and if you are dying for some nice science on how this affects your nervous system let me know and I will send you the low-down on it. Really, I would love to!

Better breath If you don’t have one to three minutes, or you can’t spare the concentration to count (maybe you are in a conversation with someone who is not your favorite someone, for instance), just breath in a little more deeply than usual and then extend your exhale so that it’s longer than your inhale. Repeat once or twice, and move on with your day.

Pro tip: When adding a breathing technique to your routine you really need to create a reminder or two. Why? Breathing is on autopilot. That’s a good thing (think about it…). But because it’s on autopilot, we forget it. So, pick a reminder. One good one is your phone. Every time it gives you a notification, let it mean whatever it means and let it also mean “Hey! Do that breathing thing!”

The great thing about breathing well is that it will help even if you totally don’t think it will. So welcome your skepticism, pat it on your back, and do this anyway, and see if you don’t feel the edge start to come off. Soon YOU will be the mindfulness guru. So cool.

Hurley, Wisconsin – NorthLakes Community Clinic is pleased to announce that Rebecca Kucinski, LPC-IT has joined the team and will be providing behavioral health services in Hurley. She will be seeing school age children, adolescents and adults.

Rebecca received her Master’s in Counseling Psychology at Western Michigan University in Grand Rapids, Michigan and earned her B.A.S in Psychology at the University of Minnesota – Duluth. Prior to joining NorthLakes she worked as a mental health professional in autism clinics located in La Crosse, WI and Winona, MN and a program counselor at Northland Counseling in Ashland, Wisconsin,

“I enjoy working with children of all ages, families, and individuals looking for additional support. I have worked with a variety of individuals with emphasis on working with children who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. I enjoy working with young children, using play therapy techniques, supporting caregivers with strategies, and working to strengthen the family relationships. I believe in creating a nurturing and collaborative therapeutic environment with clients of all ages.”

When she is not working Becky goes on adventures with her little dog and perfecting baking recipes (learning from the flops!), watercolor painting and spending time with friends and family.

“I am so excited to work for Northlakes Clinic due to the sense of community they provide and the holistic approach they maintain towards a person’s care.”

To schedule an appointment, call our Hurley office at: 715.329.1288.

NorthLakes Community Clinic – Hurley remains open and is accepting new patients during the pandemic. The clinic is open for some in-person services. Patients also have the option of seeing their provider virtually via phone or video. If you have questions about how to establish care or connect with your current provider, please call the clinic at: 715.329.1288

Iron River, Wisconsin – NorthLakes Community Clinic is excited to announce that Ellyn Conhartoski, LPC-IT, has joined the Iron River clinic as a behavioral health therapist. She will be seeing school age children, adolescents and adults in the clinic as well as students in the Northwestern Elementary and Middle Schools, once classes resume.

Ellyn earned her Master of Science in Education from Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin and her bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin – Superior.

“I worked in the counseling department of a school district for seven years. That is where I solidified that I wanted to become a counselor. It was through this work that I truly saw how therapeutic relationships and positive supports could affect a child or adolescent in so many positive ways.”

Prior to joining NorthLakes Ellyn was a community support professional providing case management, crisis intervention, and other services to a variety of clients with a variety of conditions using trauma informed care and promoting healthy mental health decisions and commitments.

Away from work Ellyn enjoys spending time on the water, boating, fishing, swimming and paddle boarding. She also has a passion for music and makes it a daily part of her life.

NorthLakes Community Clinic – Iron River remains open and is accepting new patients during the pandemic. The clinic is open for some in-person services. Patients also have the option of seeing their provider virtually via phone or video. The clinic has also established a curbside laboratory to conduct some laboratory appointments. If you have questions about how to establish care or connect with your current provider, please call the clinic at: (715) 372-5001.

Eating Pizza for a Good Cause

This health center receives HHS funding and has Federal Public Health Service deemed status with respect to certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims, for itself and its covered individuals. This health center is a Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C. 254b, and a deemed Public Health Service employee under 42 U.S.C. 233(g)-(n). Click here.